


Rumours & Understandings

by lightofdaye



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Fake relationship becomes real, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Kissing, Minor Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 12:29:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19701397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightofdaye/pseuds/lightofdaye
Summary: They didn’t start the rumours that they were dating, but they will take advantage of them.





	Rumours & Understandings

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Rare-pair shorts for Gaeilgerua's prompts of “Fake dating (could lead to more or not)” and obliquely “Attending a friend or family member's wedding alone, but not going home alone”. Thanks for Torino10154 for beta reading.

I.

“Help me,” were not words Daphne Greengrass ever expected the great and powerful Auror Harry Potter to ever say to her. Unless she was very much mistaken though those were exactly the words that Potter was mouthing to her over the top of their ministry colleague’s head.

Neither was he in a position that most people would ask to be rescued _from_ ; he was surrounded by female admirers of various ages and attractiveness, all apparently vying for his attention.

She winked at him and picked up a folder from her desk.

“Auror Potter, I need to talk to you about the Blackstone case,” she said coolly and gestured. Potter followed her. It was decent enough excuse but not a brilliant one; Daphne worked in Misuse of Muggle artefacts, and while there was some crossover with the Auror Office, it wasn’t exactly common. 

“Thank you,” Potter muttered when they were out of earshot.

“Not enjoying being the centre of attention?”

“I never have,” Harry replied.

“I know some people who never would have believed at school.” _And Still wouldn’t_ , Daphne thought. For herself, though she had always been practical whatever she believed during school there was no profit at all holding on to them now, hence her current job and her warm acquaintance with Harry Potter, of all people.

“Well, yeah, thanks again,” Harry said awkwardly.

Daphne smiled at him.

“No problem,” she said. “And anyway, now you owe me one.”

The shocked expression on his face was payment enough for now.

II.

“We’re dating, by the way,” Daphne said when she slipped into his office a few days later.

Harry looked up from his case work, totally surprised. A smile played around Daphne’s lips, and he fought to suppress his expression as in his profession it was a matter of policy never to be caught flat-footed.

“We are, are we?” he said, lightly. Harry never quite knew what to make of Daphne Greengrass, she was perfectly polite and nice to everyone as far as he knew but she also had a look about her, as if everything was just a little bit funny to her. If he was being wound up, he didn’t want to react too obviously.

“According to Ministry rumour anyway.”

“Right, my friends from before?”

“Apparently there’s no way that you couldn’t be interested in at least one of them unless you were already taken and I was just staking my claim, you see.”

“And the idea we could just be friends?” Harry asked. “Or in fact really did need to do some work?”

“We’re government employees, Harry, of course that didn’t occur to them.”

“Oh,” Harry blushed embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Daphne, I didn’t mean you to get caught up in anything. What did you want to do about it?”

The amused smile was back, the sea-green eyes twinkled as well, Daphne’s pretty face became almost impish, and Harry for a second understood why it was plausible that anyone would want to be attached to Daphne.

“Well, let me ask a question first. You don’t want to be in a relationship at the moment, right?”

Harry frowned.

“No.”

“But you don’t want everyone chasing you?”

“Right.”

“So what I suggest is we do... nothing,” Daphne said. “Simply nothing.”

“What? Are you suggesting we fake a relationship?”

“No, no, not at all. They already think we have one. So we just let them think that. Then you seem taken and no- one bothers you.”

Harry tilted his head. It was a very nice offer in one way, but he couldn’t help being suspicious, another danger of his career. 

“Forgive me for asking, Daphne, but what do you get out of this?”

“Me?” Harry thought he saw a slight pinkness tinge Daphne’s cheeks. ”Well, my parents stop asking me when I’m going to get a nice rich respectable fiancé like our Astoria has.”

“Ah. Right.” Well, he could hardly expect her to do it without an advantage to herself. 

He nodded his agreement to the plan.

III. 

“Afternoon, Daphne! Had a nice morning?” Potter said, sliding into the chair next to her at a table in the Ministry lunch room. 

Daphne suppressed a twitch. What was he doing? Did he actually think she wanted to hang out with him? No, she’d been quite, quite clear, she knew and he wasn’t interested in her in that way. After a delay she hoped no one noticed, she smiled and responded normally.

“Oh, same old, same old,” she said, loudly enough for other people to hear and then hissed under her breath. “What are you doing?”

“Having lunch,” Harry replied quietly, before adding a comment in a normal speaking voice.

The conversation continued throughout lunch alternating between normal and sotto voice discussions.

“Why?”

“People would think it odd if I sat alone when my girlfriend was in the room also eating alone,” Harry said.

“We said we weren’t going to fake it.”

“Well, how quickly do you want them to realise?” Harry asked. “Besides, I sit and talk to my friends during lunch all the time. It’s not necessarily romantic.”

Daphne felt a strange sensation should through her stomach; she could be wrong but he seemed to genuinely regard them as friends.

“Ugh. Fine,” was all she said in response but the conversation that followed, while fake, was also actually interesting and Harry took a lively interest in the Muggle Artefact office as he was on warm terms with the previous head of the department.

Perhaps this would work out after all.

IV.

“Buy me flowers,” Daphne demanded, appearing in his office after work was officially over. Harry was more tired than usual and didn’t contain his surprise as well as he could have done.

“What?” he said. “I mean, pardon?”

“Buy me, flowers,” Daphne repeated.

“Why?” Harry said, nonplussed.

“Because every time I go home, Astoria lords it over me with how amazing Draco Bloody Malfoy is, how he spoils her, how attentive he is, how bloody romantic he is. You’re my boyfriend, right? Send me flowers.”

“Okay, okay,” Harry said, making placating hand motions. “But...”

Daphne ran her hands through her short blonde hair, took a deep breath and sighed it out.

“Yes, yes, it’s still a fake relationship, Potter. Here.” She pulled a Galleon out of her pocket and threw it, more to him than _at_ him, but only just. “I’ll pay you back, just do it.”

She disappeared and Harry was left turning the coin over and over in his hands and wondering what he’d let himself in for.

V.

“So should I invite the Chosen One myself,” a sardonic voice drawled in Daphne’s ear, “or is he coming as your plus one?”

Daphne glared at Draco Malfoy as he circled her desk to stand in front her, standing about in the middle of the Ministry Office as if he had any right to be there, glancing around the Muggle objects with complete disdain. 

“What you talking about, Malfoy?” Daphne snapped.

“We’ve set a date,” Draco said, smugly. “Next month, short warning, I know but dear Astoria could bear to be unmarried for any longer.”

“Fine. Congratulations,” Daphne said, then she realised the implications of what Malfoy had said.

“So, should I invite Potter?” The voice was laced with cruel amusement. “After all, I wouldn’t dream of not inviting the boyfriend of my sister-in-law to be to such an important event.”

He was watching her squirm and Daphne felt like an insect squirming on a pin and felt anger brewing inside her.

“Of course, if you happened to break up between now and the wedding, it would be such a shame, wouldn’t it?”

“We’ll be there,” she said firmly and Draco left with another smirk.

As he left, Daphne fretted. What was Harry going to think about this?

VI.

“What are you doing on the 13th next month?” Daphne said even before Harry registered who was at the door of his flat.

“Well, I...” he said.

“Wrong.” Daphne snapped. “You’re going to Malfoy’s wedding.”

Harry stared, flabbergasted. Then he blinked, mentally coming back to himself and sighed. 

“Perhaps you’d better come in.”

Harry watched Daphne pace up and down his little living room, gesticulating and talking very quickly, more agitated that he had ever seen her.

“He knows, Harry. He knows,” she said, furiously. “He knows exactly what we’re doing.”

“Okay, pretend I’m not following this at all,” Harry said.

“Malfoy has invited us to his wedding.”

“Well, we don’t have to go.”

“It’s my sister. Of course, I have to go.”

“Well, _I_ don’t have to go.” The words spilled out of Harry before he’d really thought about them and he winced.

“You’re my boyfriend.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, and he knows it. He thinks he’s got it all figured out. The way he was watching me squirm, daring me to bring you! So either we don’t go and he knows he’s right or we do and we have to put up with him watching us perform for him all bloody night.”

She broke down in angry gibberish. Harry racked his brain..., there was only one answer.

“Daphne,” he said gently, “sit down and take a deep breath. We’ll sort this out. How do you take your tea?”

“How.. I… what?” Daphne said. He’d apparently succeeded in derailing her thought process at least. 

Harry bustled around his kitchenette making tea and thinking intensely and then returned to Daphne sitting on his sofa and handed her a strong cup of tea. She took a sip and sighed extravagantly.

“Now, I think we should go to the wedding. If we do a good enough job, Malfoy can’t know he was right for sure. He’ll always wonder. Right?”

“Right,” Daphne nodded. “But then we have to get a bloody gift. And do you have dress robes? No, we’ll need to coordinate. I’ll set up a fitting and...” it went on and on. Harry leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his own tea. Then he took a deep breath and jumped off the edge of the cliff.

“I’ve been thinking, Daphne,” he said. “This fake relationship we’re having, well, it’s actually taking up more energy than just having a real one would.”

Daphne stopped talking at him, her light green eyes growing wide with surprise.

“I’m not saying...” Harry stumbled, second guessing himself. “I’ll go the wedding either way but afterwards… well, think about it?”

Harry’s heart beat at double time but there was no taking the words back. He was committed.

VII.

“Care to dance?” Harry whispered to her softly. 

They’d suffered through the vows, the dinner and the speeches and Draco and Astoria were dancing the first dance.

“Sure,” Daphne replied.

It was a slow dance. Harry held her close. His arms were strong but gentle, his body was warm close to hers. The world and worries seem to shrink away as she concentrated on the music.

“This is nice,” she murmured.

“It is,” Harry replied huskily.

She looked up; his green eyes were flashing brilliant and they were so close. Her heart raced and she found she didn’t mind at all.

VIII.

“Anything the matter, my love?” the newly minted Astoria Malfoy said to her husband.

Draco stared across the dance floor: just beyond the edge, a couple were caught in a tight embrace, snogging deeply. As he watched Harry Potter pressed Daphne Greengrass against a wall, his head dipping to press kisses to the side of her neck, Draco caught a glimpse of Daphne, her eyes fluttering in pleasure before they disappeared entirely.

And he’d been so sure they were faking it.

“Nothing,” he lied to his wife. “Nothing at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just to reiterate something in my profile, I write almost entirely one shots and very few sequels or mutltipart fics. I love to hear feedback about my stories but keep in mind, there's not going to be a follow up.


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